Top Stories
Input costs aren’t dropping alongside inflation
General inflation has cooled off from the high points in recent years, but input costs are not following suit. Dr. Michael Langemeier is the director of Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture, and he said farm input prices don’t always follow inflation up or down. Langemeier said some costs stick close to rising and falling inflation rates. Langemeier said that disconnect is why break-even prices for grain won’t come down. Langemeier said inflation is a big part of the story, but there are...
USDA opens emergency CRP haying & grazing in 46 Iowa counties
With the dry weather, there has been a huge push to open emergency grazing and haying of Conservation Reserve Program land. A provision in the Farm Bill allows for this option to help relieve the producers of grazing animals. When we have conditions like this, forage...
Fighting corn rootworm requires a varied toolbox
Corn rootworm is an annual problem, and a highly varying one at that. In fact, there’s a lot we still don’t know about what encourages its growth or spread. As such, it’s important to stay prepared to prevent a multitude of things that could potentially cause problems...
“American Pure Pork” campaign expands into Mexico’s foodservice sector
For the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a primary market development objective in Mexico is to strengthen U.S. pork identification in the retail and foodservice sectors by differentiating U.S. pork as top quality. “American Pure Pork,” a marketing program that...
Administration officials voice tentative support to restrict foreign ownership of farmland
Biden administration officials expressed tentative support for efforts in Congress to restrict ownership of U.S. farmland by foreign adversaries during a recent hearing of the House Select Committee on U.S.-Chinese Communist Party Competition.State, Defense, and...
Grain indemnity assessments will begin September 1st
It’s hard to believe we are just a month away from September and getting the itch to harvest our crops in the state of Iowa. As we get ever closer to the harvest, the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship reminds farmers that they will be starting the...
Legislation would target farm payments where needed most
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced legislation to rein in abuse of the farm payment system and ensure support goes to those actively engaged in farming. The “Farm Program Integrity Act” would create a hard cap of $250,000 in total...
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More Ag News
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-15-24)
Export sales are continuing their recent trends. Corn sales are looking good, while the same certainly cannot be said for the soybeans. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest export sales report. U.S. soybean prices are still far from...
AFBF seeks modernization for Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act
The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, passed in 1978, provides tracking and monitoring of investment in U.S. agriculture. However, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Economist Danny Munch said the process is due for an upgrade. Munch said the current...
Preparing the next generation of ag conservation and climate leaders
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week announced a new initiative to prepare the next generation of conservation and climate leaders. The Working Lands Climate Corps is part of President Biden’s American Climate Corps initiative and will provide career...
EPA issues existing stocks order for dicamba products
In light of the February 6, 2024, ruling by the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacating the 2020 registrations for over-the-top (OTT) dicamba products, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing the following update. On February 14, 2024, EPA issued...
Cornelius Seed is a strong, family-owned Iowa Ag business
During the Agribusiness Association of Iowa’s (AAI) Showcase, we had the chance to talk with many great agribusinesses of all shapes and sizes. One facet that is sometimes overlooked in the ag sphere is how much is being done by local, family-owned businesses for Iowa...
